On Wednesday and Thursday, 4th and 5th October, we caught two Mediterranean Shags near the town of Izola and equipped them with GPS telemetry devices. The birds were named Ari and Šime. This is the first case of GPS telemetry applied on birds in Slovenia. The aim of the telemetry of Shags in the project SIMARINE-NATURA is to collect data about their home ranges in the period of their summering at Slovenian sea. These data are crucial for identifying the new marine Natura 2000 sites for the Mediterranean Shag in Slovenia.

A large group of Mediterranen Shags was observed by the Slovenian coast between Koper and Izola around noon today (9th October). Around 350 individuals was floating just nearby the coast and was probably following a flock of fish. Numerous gulls, mostly black-headed (Larus ridibundus), were accompanying them. A similar scene was observed on the same place last Thursday, 5th October, when a group of Shags followed a flock of see neadles (Belone belone).